The Hermanns’ living room is filled with items. So is the basement. And the front porch. And the garage.

But they’re quick to make sure it’s known: They’re not hoarders. They’re just prepping for a large garage sale to help raise money toward their goal of taking part in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day walk later this summer.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Sue Hermann said. “There are seven on the team ... which means we need to raise $16,000.”

The family, who have lost Hermann’s mother and sister to breast cancer, has gotten involved with the walk for several years. This will be the first garage sale they’ll put on to help raise money. It’ll take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday at their home, located at 31533 Grove, near Six Mile and Merriman.

They’ve been accepting items from family and friends in preparation for the big sale that will take up the garage, driveway and front porch. Planning has taken place since the fall, when the idea was first proposed, with major sorting starting this upcoming week.

“This next week is going to be a lot of late nights sorting,” said Ally Hermann, Sue’s daughter.

It’s just one more idea to help them get the collective total for them to team up, which is still short about $5,000 as of Wednesday night. One-hundred percent of money brought in during the sale will go toward their fundraising efforts.

Hermann said times have changed when it comes to gathering donations.

“Back when I first started, it was a lot easier to fundraise,” Hermann said. “The first two years I did it, I raised over $16,000 in two years by myself. Now here we are in 2016 and we have to raise over $16,000 as a group and it’s tough.”

Event later this summer

The 3-Day event takes place Aug. 5-7 and starts in Novi before going through towns such as Plymouth, Livonia and Farmington. The walk ends at the Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn.

The family will also hold a fundraiser June 22 at Paint and Pour, 22000 Michigan Ave., in Dearborn. More information on that event can be found on the company’s website.

Even with all the prep for the garage sale, the family still needs to get in walking to train for the 60-mile hike over the three days. They do a few miles during the week, with a bulk of training happening over the weekend

“Weekdays is probably five or six (miles), weekends gets up to 16, 17, 18,” Ally Hermann said.

The team, named Chips 4 A Cure, is inspired by many of the family members attending Central Michigan University or paying tuition to the Mount Pleasant school. Ally Hermann said they’ve gotten some support during the school year, including doing bottle drives at various apartment complexes up north.

Anyone looking to donate to team can do so by visiting their team page on the 3-Day walk website at the3day.org and by searching for the team “Chips 4 A Cure.”

While the fundraising and training is all hard work for the family, they keep their eye out for the ultimate goal of all their endeavors: helping to find a cure for breast cancer.

“For us, it’s all about finding a cure,” Sue Hermann said. “My daughters, my nieces, nobody should have to suffer.

“I always say, ‘60 miles is tough, but it’s nothing like what a breast cancer patient goes through.’”